Pinpoint Pesky Pinworm Problems with the new retail test kit

Pinpoint Pesky Pinworm Problems

11 August 2016

with the new retail test kit

Horses itch for many reasons including sweetitch and fly irritation but repeated tail rubbing could also be a sign of pinworm (Oxyuris Equi), a pesky little parasite that has been on the increase in horses over the last few years.

Although not a serious threat to horse health like other intestinal worms, pinworm can cause irritation sometimes so severe that horses will rub themselves raw around their tail head. This can lead to skin infections and further problems.

If a pinworm problem is suspected then a worm count is unlikely to show the worm eggs as pinworms live in the hind gut and lay eggs outside the body under the tail. Instead use the more reliable pinworm sellotape test from Westgate Labs to help pinpoint the problem, available direct from the lab and now as a retail test kit too alongside worm egg count kits.

Kit Includes:

• a clear sticky back test strip to take the sample for each horse• an information leaflet• a voucher for the laboratory examination of the test strip• a pre-paid envelope to send the sample to the lab• Veterinary approved worming advice available free of charge from our friendly team of SQPs.

If pinworm is confirmed then these parasites can be a persistent problem to get rid of, responding best to treatment with older chemicals such as Pyrantel and Fenbendazole. Combine this with good stable hygiene to prevent reinfection by disinfecting places where the horse may rub and applying neem oil or similar to the horses bottom around the anus area to prevent the eggs from sticking.

With an RRP of £7 a pinworm test kit is a cost effective additional tool in our armoury to manage good parasite control in horses.